Set up for kegging...what would you do?

OK, I'm going kegging at some point and reading all I can. Seems to be some issues with balancing and storing pressures and serving pressures, pop or pin connectors, etc. etc. Let's say that money isn't an issue and I'd like to get the idea keg set up. Two kegs at once with two handles. What would or how would you do it? One thing I learned and am still learning, and this has been a costly experience even just to bottle, is take the plunge and get the good stuff now. Like something I just read, get rid of your floating cheap-O deluxe thermometer and get a good one. I thought I had a good one. Should have gone straight to kegging instead of F'ing around with all this bottling. But, that part, I believe, is par for the course. Anyway, I am curious as to what others would do. Now money....not an never ending wallet, but let's say no more than a grand.....I think I can convince my wife that it's absolutely necessary to keep me from going insane!!!!

Geez, you only need about $150...not $1000!!! Ball lock kegs from www.homebrewing.org are pretty cheap - get the new o-ring and poppet option for a few bucks more. You'll need a lease on a CO2 bottle from your local welding/gas supplier. I like 20 pounders, but they don't fit in kegerators - the 5 and 10 pound sizes do if you don't want your gas to be outside the fridge. You'll also need a regulator and some food grade gas line (preferably clear). Twin gauge regulators are nice because you can monitor the gas remaining in the cylinder as well as the output pressure. Just siphon into the kegs instead of bottles, and you're all set!

Yuri_Rage said:

Geez, you only need about $150...not $1000!!! Ball lock kegs from www.homebrewing.org are pretty cheap - get the new o-ring and poppet option for a few bucks more. You'll need a lease on a CO2 bottle from your local welding/gas supplier. I like 20 pounders, but they don't fit in kegerators - the 5 and 10 pound sizes do if you don't want your gas to be outside the fridge. You'll also need a regulator and some food grade gas line (preferably clear). Twin gauge regulators are nice because you can monitor the gas remaining in the cylinder as well as the output pressure. Just siphon into the kegs instead of bottles, and you're all set!

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That is, assuming you already have a fridge. If not it's a little more.

Here's what mine looks like:




Nothin' fancy, but I like it.

Start out with the best and largest fridge you can get your hands on that fits in the best space available in your home. You may feel that 2 taps is enough now, but you'll be surprised at how quicky you'll want more, so plan on expansion (ie. make sure that you can envision where tap 3 and 4 will go BEFORE you drill holes 1 and 2.

Here's mine:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=11082
More fridge Pr0n:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=12153

Some keggers still enjoy bottling and the choice is not always one of cost or time.

Unlike 99.9% of homebrewers, I went straight to kegs. Mini-kegs first, then cornies. A 14 cu ft fridge can store four cornies and the CO2 if you remove the door shelves. Put the first two taps in the middle about 8 inches apart, that leaves plenty of room for the other two taps. Get a 4-way manifold right off. Make certain the valves have built-in check valves.

AND


Make certain you mount the taps low enough that opening the top freezer (to get at the hop stash) doesn't hit the tap handles! This is important, pay attention.

david_42 said:

Unlike 99.9% of homebrewers, I went straight to kegs.

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But you bottle on occasion... true?

david_42 said:

Make certain you mount the taps low enough that opening the top freezer (to get at the hop stash) doesn't hit the tap handles! This is important, pay attention.

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I agree. I balanced having them placed high and only using older shorter (nostalgic) tap handles.

There seems to be an inverse relationship with shortness of tap handles and cost and oldness.

Shorter = older = more costly.


ETA: Point about 4 way manifold is also key. Also look into chest freezers as they meet a different need and have a footprint that may be more agreeable to you.

ablrbrau said:

That is, assuming you already have a fridge. If not it's a little more.

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Sorry...I made the assumption that you already had the ability to cool/serve from a keg. Additional parts would include a kegerator (got mine from Best Buy on clearance for less than $300), and the appropriate ball lock gas/liquid fittings that you can find in abundance at most any LHBS or online.

My future objective is to have capacity for 5 or 6 kegs. The reason I'm sure of this is that at any given time, I have 5 or 6 different types of beer in my beer fridge (just a regular fridge, purchased to hold commercial bottled beer). It can range up to twelve different beers, but I generally limit substantial quantities to 5 or 6 types at a time. This is simply because my tastes are varied. I don't drink the same thing beer after beer. I am usually drinking two or three different beers per evening.

A chest freezer solution seems most practical for my 5 or 6 keg requirement. On the other hand, I believe this freezerless refrigerator would probably accomodate 8 to 10 cornies. The best part is that it doesn't have a freezer, so all of the space is usable for cornies. The interior dimensions are not given, but estimating from the exterior dimensions of 66 3/4 H x 30 W x 30.5 D, I am guessing that the interior is 58 or 59 inches high by 25 wide by 24 deep. Take out the shelves and bins and build a single sturdy shelf halfway up, and you can fit five cornies on the bottom and five on the shelf, and have room for a C02 bottle. You could even store 6 packs of bottles in the door.

Has anyone every bought a freezerless full-size fridge to make a kegerator?

beer4breakfast said:

The interior dimensions are not given, but estimating from the exterior dimensions of 66 3/4 H x 30 W x 30.5 D, I am guessing that the interior is 58 or 59 inches high by 25 wide by 24 deep. Take out the shelves and bins and build a single sturdy shelf halfway up, and you can fit five cornies on the bottom and five on the shelf, and have room for a C02 bottle.

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There's probably a bit of a "hump" in the back at the bottom for the compressor to live. I'd only count on the ability to store 3 cornies on the bottom, but you might fit your CO2 bottle(s) back there if you play your cards right. It seems like you might be able to use the single shelf idea, though, and that would certainly make it a worthwhile project.

i think it makes more sense to get a chest freezer at that point if your location allows for the increased footpring. the chest freezers are generally more economical in regards to the number of kegs per cubic foot. in an upright fridge, it would be difficult to stack the cornies on top of each other while also dispensing.

to the OP - if you have the space and money, i would go for a large chest freezer with a collar, and you can put a lot of kegs on it. some people who have 20+ Cubic feet can fit a dozen cornies or so, i think. can you imagine 12 taps coming out of the collar?

Thanks dudes. I can always count on this site for good, honest answers. I'm ready to go KEGGING NOW!!!! But, I am going to reframe and get these bottling basics down first. I owe at least that much to the Brew Gods.

OK, I've throughly read all the responses. Good advice on all. I noticed one website mentioned here has corny's for 15 bucks a piece, plus shipping. Boy, them being that cheap, you think I should just go ahead and order them now and park them until I'm ready to keg? 15 bucks is pretty dang cheap. But, I got to learn about all the o-rings and maintenance stuff first too. See, that's what I was kind of asking about, figure out what I would need and then get it, but no looking back. Have all the good stuff ready to go and not even have an iota of a thought in my mind that I "cheap-O'ed" out. Which I have done many, many times in my life......never cheap out on a good drumset, that cost me a couple of gigs when my equipment failed, but that is another story and another life.....
What I had envisioned is a two keg system, complete with all the hardware that would balance out the system. A duo regulator. One thing I'm a little fussy on is after secondary time, I siphon into the keg and then force carb it, shake it and all that stuff. Now, when carbing it, does it have to be chilled when I'm conditioning it? What I'm getting at is if I have two kegs on tap and one on deck, does the one on deck have to be chilled as well? If so, then I may need a 3 keg size chiller. Right now, I have no chiller and I'm slowly looking around. I have a bar upstairs and it would be just absolutely great if I could find one that would fit into the bar, as opposed to having another fridge or something larger like that as it would more than likely have to be in the garage and I don't want that. It gets pretty freakin' hot here in Oklahoma land.